The Woods in "What Season is This?"

Mid December and it seems like September or maybe April.  It is really getting spooky.  It was much cooler in October and November.  There has not been ice on the puddle pond or tub in over a week.  I am getting spoiled.  My neighbors keep saying it is going to be hard to take winter when it comes.  I think they may be right.  We still believe winter is going to come.

Lyndy and I found a tree on the property for a Christmas tree and decorated it last night.  It feels funny to be putting up a tree in the house when it is in the 60s outside.  When I went down earlier in the day to scope out possibilities, I took a long walk in the woods of Cabin Spring Farm.  I walked the deer paths and found that there are some tiny pines coming along in a woods of predominately cedars but then I looked off into an area I haven't walked in awhile.  There were 2 VERY large pines, one must be a great great great grandmother.  I just looked up in awe for several minutes.

Since the weather is so accommodating, I did more outside projects.  I cleared the beginning of the main path into the woods, for one thing.  It is behind the fiber studio where the nature spirits told me it should go (a few years ago).  At the time I was told where the path should go, I started clearing and found it was a major dump site (barbed wire, cans, glass, you name it).  I cleaned it up and put a couple of logs on either side of the path.  When we did the addition to the fiber shed, a couple of years ago, the path ended up in a great place except for the initial incline.  Since then things have been coming together beautifully to create a special new place.  I love how the universe works.

I love when the leaves fall from the trees and one can see deeply into the woods driving the back roads.  Will this be the year I paint silhouettes of trees in the woods?  I hope so.  How can I not, when the weather is so delightful (that is if your not ready for winter yet).  Winter will officially be here in 5 days and 2 hours.

TREACHEROUS

This is the time of the year I am not sure if I like it to be warmer or cooler.  It rained more than 2" at the beginning of the week.  It can rain frequently this time of year.  Not a problem if there were more grass but when the grass is short and the animals are eating hay, the area near the main gate, where there is a lot of traffic, can get quite muddy.

Even the pastures get slip-slidy and it becomes treacherous (more so on 2 feet).

When it turn cold the mud looks like this

Then it becomes hard to walk on but it is no longer slippery.  Mira walks carefully toward the pasture.

I think the animals prefer the mud.  I know the bird do.  They do not like the cold under their feet so we put down areas of straw, here and there.

The last couple of mornings we have had HEAVY frosts.  

 It is so beautiful to look at but definitely difficult to maneuver through.